Jaundiced Bone Bracer - to buy or not to buy?

[Erati]

buy

[Lhancelot]

Originally Posted by EdTuBrutus [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

This is the big myth about the JBB and why people think its useful.

The problem is that its just not true. Using a JBB costs mana.

You are not medding, you are not cannibalising. You lose mana every time you click a JBB. The opportunity cost for a Canni-dancing L53 Shaman for every JBB cast is 150 mana**. That's a LOT of mana for 253 damage.

** technically you should adjust this for the cost of maintaining Chloroplast but you get the idea.

Myth? Well you are welcome to your opinion, but I used it extensively and found the JBB very useful.

I might have given the guy too much info, but wanted to explain how I found it to be quite beneficial.

The nuke hits fairly hard, and as I said I solo'd with it and found it extremely useful.

I even solo'd the paladin guards in Felwithe, always keeping my mana high by mixing the JBB in once my pet got them down to 90% hps and held aggro.

I think he could buy it, try it, and see if he thinks it's useful or not. He can easily resell it if he doesn't like it.

There's a reason why people mention the JBB and the fact the Iksar race can't use it, and that's because it is a fairly decent item that at the very least can help you level.

[Lhancelot]

Originally Posted by EdTuBrutus [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

You can only ever get higher efficiency using a JBB between L45 and L53 and that is ONLY if you never get interrupts, never get root breaks. Because of this, you'll almost always still be better Rotting or Meleeing even in the theoretical golden zone for a JBB.

This is only if you are using root rotting method, or full melee method to kill mobs.

You can use your pet as a tank and it's very effective, I know for a fact I did it for many lvls once I got the 49 pet spell.

The 49 pet holds aggro, I learned this from a troll shaman that showed me the ropes in Kelethin killing guards and using levi across the city pulling to a spot high up.

You can pull the Kelethin guards easily and I learned how to kill them efficiently.

Slow them, send pet, he taunts and holds aggro so well I did not have to root the mob. Let the pet beat on them till they are at 85%-90% hps, by then he has aggro like a magnet.

I then put 1-2 dots on the guard, then I nuked over and over with JBB till the guard died. If he starts tot ake off running, you can root if you fear he is heading to guards.

Pet held aggro the entire time. This is why it's important to have a strong pet it definitely makes a difference in holding aggro.

Get a reclaim energy mage focus item, like http://wiki.project1999.com/Torch_Of_Alna_Quest.

The mob rarely even was on me to interrupt my JBB. Root can be used, but again, I found it rare that I ever had to use it.

I took this strategy to Felwithe guards, and did the same thing.

The only difference is the fights can last longer due to them healing and being paladins. Once they are down to 20%-30% hps or so, I would rush them, slam them to interrupt their healing, and simply nuke with the JBB. They died.

The most important thing obviously is to have slow on them, and with slow the pet or shaman can face tank the guards.

***I did have a fungi tunic, but honestly I seen shamans without a fungi doing the same thing so I know it's not needed to kill Kelethin or Felwithe guards. My shaman was a ogre.

[EdTuBrutus]

Originally Posted by Lhancelot [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Myth? Well you are welcome to your opinion, but I used it extensively and found the JBB very useful.

I might have given the guy too much info, but wanted to explain how I found it to be quite beneficial.

The nuke hits fairly hard, and as I said I solo'd with it and found it extremely useful.

I even solo'd the paladin guards in Felwithe, always keeping my mana high by mixing the JBB in once my pet got them down to 90% hps and held aggro.

I think he could buy it, try it, and see if he thinks it's useful or not. He can easily resell it if he doesn't like it.

There's a reason why people mention the JBB and the fact the Iksar race can't use it, and that's because it is a fairly decent item that at the very least can help you level.

It is a FACT that the JBB costs mana to use - around 150 mana per cast at Level 53. That's not an opinion. The nuke does not "hit hard". It does 26.3dps maximum in ideal circumstances which is not hard. You can melee 25dps with a decent 2h weapon AND cannibalise recovering mana between swings.

You can solo whatever you want, with whatever you want. If you are doing things with a JBB you are SLOWER than any other Shaman tactic and more INEFFICIENT than any other Shaman tactic. Again, this isn't opinion. It is a demonstrable, empirical fact.

Telling anyone to buy a JBB is bad advice. It will cost you time to buy it, probably much more time to sell it (cos there's lots of sellers and not many buying) and likely end up with a cash loss on the transaction. Or WORSE, the poor guy might keep using it and kill his efficiency making EVERYTHING he does take longer.

[fadetree]

Yeah it's useful, but it's not a game changer. A fungi is a game changer.

[Lhancelot]

Originally Posted by fadetree [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Yeah it's useful, but it's not a game changer. A fungi is a game changer.

Right, but he can't get a fungi yet.

JBB will make leveling easier thus making it easier for him to farm for plats for a fungi.

If he finds it less useful than he had hoped it can be treated as an investment and sold later to help him get a fungi when he has more plats saved.

Just get the JBB it doesn't make any sense to not have it, and to try it. You can't get a fungi yet, and honestly an iksar bp is less useful imo compared to the JBB.

[EdTuBrutus]

Originally Posted by Lhancelot [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

This is only if you are using root rotting method, or full melee method to kill mobs.

You can use your pet as a tank and it's very effective, I know for a fact I did it for many lvls once I got the 49 pet spell.

The 49 pet holds aggro, I learned this from a troll shaman that showed me the ropes in Kelethin killing guards and using levi across the city pulling to a spot high up.

You can pull the Kelethin guards easily and I learned how to kill them efficiently.

Slow them, send pet, he taunts and holds aggro so well I did not have to root the mob. Let the pet beat on them till they are at 85%-90% hps, by then he has aggro like a magnet.

I then put 1-2 dots on the guard, then I nuked over and over with JBB till the guard died. If he starts tot ake off running, you can root if you fear he is heading to guards.

Pet held aggro the entire time. This is why it's important to have a strong pet it definitely makes a difference in holding aggro.

Get a reclaim energy mage focus item, like http://wiki.project1999.com/Torch_Of_Alna_Quest.

The mob rarely even was on me to interrupt my JBB. Root can be used, but again, I found it rare that I ever had to use it.

I took this strategy to Felwithe guards, and did the same thing.

The only difference is the fights can last longer due to them healing and being paladins. Once they are down to 20%-30% hps or so, I would rush them, slam them to interrupt their healing, and simply nuke with the JBB. They died.

The most important thing obviously is to have slow on them, and with slow the pet or shaman can face tank the guards.

***I did have a fungi tunic, but honestly I seen shamans without a fungi doing the same thing so I know it's not needed to kill Kelethin or Felwithe guards. My shaman was a ogre.

I wondered if you didn't understand the game mechanics from previous posts and sadly this rambling post does tend to confirm that. I'm not even sure where to start addressing it, it sounds like the gish gashing from Trump. But, in the interest of trying to be helpful I'll try and address the main parts as far as they can be identified.

1. Pets hold agro because pet agro is bugged, its Not Classic but sure, use it if you want. It makes no overall difference to the mathematical inferiority of using a JBB.

2. Being able to kill something is not the same as being able to kill something effiently. You shouldn't be killing unitemised paladins. Like ever. Post Kunark, there is no reason to do guards at all unless factioning, they've got nearly twice the HP of other same level mobs, in general, and are always in zones with terrible ZEMs.

3. I've tried reading it three times now but its still not clear what argument you are trying to put forward for using the JBB. Is it because you like killing slowly or because you like downtime between slow kills? It just doesn't seem to make any sense.

[EdTuBrutus]

Originally Posted by Lhancelot [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Right, but he can't get a fungi yet.

JBB will make leveling easier thus making it easier for him to farm for plats for a fungi.

If he finds it less useful than he had hoped it can be treated as an investment and sold later to help him get a fungi when he has more plats saved.

Just get the JBB it doesn't make any sense to not have it, and to try it. You can't get a fungi yet, and honestly an iksar bp is less useful imo compared to the JBB.

No, he can get a Ceremonial Iksar Chestplate which DOES help him instead of a JBB which does not.

Slower levelling is not easier levelling.

[Vallanor]

I have nothing to add to this conversation except that shamans getting a cheapish, tradeable clicky nuke at such a low level despite having a multitude of other efficient ways to solo and group is just about the most obnoxious thing ever. Wizards do nothing but nuke yet have to wait until 60 and join a raid guild to get a chance at a comparable item. And here you are all talking about how useless the shaman clicky bracer is when a clicky robe is the single most useful item a wizard can get. The original EQ developers deserve a beating.

That's all. Carry on.

[Lhancelot]

Originally Posted by EdTuBrutus [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

No, he can get a Ceremonial Iksar Chestplate which DOES help him instead of a JBB which does not.

Slower levelling is not easier levelling.

That's fine we can agree to disagree, or I can anyway. He can do as he wants, makes no difference to me.

I simply shared my experience with him, and if anything I shared helps I am happy for that. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]